Game



Oct. 27, 1942.

l. H. wlLSEY Filed sept.' 1s. 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 jlorngys.

01.27, 1942'. .HfwLsEY '2,300,328

` GAME Filed'sept. 1s, 1940 s sheets-'shwrs a HIL. @ufl n.'

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Patented Oct. 27, i942V UNITED STATES PATENT; orifice-I- GAME Irven H.Wilsey, Chicago, Ill.

Application September 13, 1940, Serial No. 356,584

Claims.

Ihe invention relates to games, and particularly to games of what arecommonly known today as the bagatelle type. In such games balls orsimilar game pieces are projected onto, and rolled down, -a slightlyinclined game board through a maze of hazards or obstacles thereon suchas bumpers or pockets, and the number of bumpers contacted, or theparticular pocket into which the ball drops, determines the scoreaccorded the player.

One general object of the present invention is to aiord to the player ina game of the type indicated a novel means of controlling the progressof the game piece after it is projected onto the board so that theapparatus becomes a true game of skill.

More specifically, it is an object to provide such a game embodying atiltable playing board, together with a single operating handle mountedon the exterior of the casing for the game and having two degrees ofmotion, the handlebeing operable in said two degrees, respectively, toproject the game piece and to tilt the board back and forth as may berequired to guide the projected game piece. By using such adual-function operating handle, it can be readily manipulated by theoperator with one hand and Without loss of time, and hence control ofthe game piece, in shifting the hand from one handle to another.

Another object is to provide a game of the type indicated having atiltable game board together with a novel actuator system for tiltingthe board so that it cannot be moved violently, thereby preventingthrowing of the game piece forcibly from the board in a manner whichwould otherwise break the customary glass cover of the game layout.

Still another object is to provide a game of the type indicated having atiltable game board with manually operable means for tilting the boardat will to govern the path of a ball rolling across it, and in which themounting for the board is of such character that it is releasably heldin position in any degree of tilting adjustment to which it is moved bysaid manual means or, in other words, is not merely freed to fall overas soon as said manual means is released by the operator.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe following description proceeds taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a general perspective View of a bagatelle type gameembodying the invention,

the lower portions of the mounting legs being shown as broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken substantiallyalongthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinalsectional View taken substantiallyl along the line lil-ill in Fig. 2. Y

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken showing particularlythe combined actuating mechanism for propelling the ball and tiltingtheA game board. y y Y.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan'view of the forward right handcorner portion `of the apparatus shown in Fig. l. y

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modified form of game embodying `myinvention. j Y

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional View taken substantially along theline I-'I in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially alongthe line 8 8 in Fig. 7.

While the invention is susceptible of various modications andalternative constructions, I have shwon in the drawings and will hereindescribe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understoodthat I do not thereby intend to limit the inventionto the specific form-Vdisclosed, but intend to cover all modifications Vand alternativeconstructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention asexpressed in theA appended claims.

Referring more particularly to Fig. l, it will be seen that theexemplary Vembodiment of my inf' vention there shown comprises abagatelle game which, at least in general over-all appearance, is offamiliar form. It comprises a rectangular box-like casing I0 having a,transparent glass' .cover I I, the casing being carried on suitable legsI2 at its four corners. At the rear end of the casing is a scoringmechanism I3 of conventional form, but since it constitutes no entinvention need not bey detailed here.

Within the casing I0 is a generally horizontal game board I4 having aseries of hazards or obstacles thereon, shown in the form of bumpers I5,and a nal ball-receiving pocketIS at the front end of the board andtoward Which'the latter is slightly inclined. In playing the game, aplurality of gaine pieces, herein shown as balls I1 (see also Fig. 4)are delivered one 'by one to the game board .by successivelmanipulations of a plunger I8. The latter operates a balldeliverymechanism of conventional form (not shown) to deliver a ball upon eachactuation thereof, this mechanism being freed for a predetermined partof the pres-I series of actuations by insertion of a coin in the usualcoin receiver mechanism I3. The balls delivered to the game boardssurface are propelled across it by a suitable shooter mechanismhereinafter described, the balls being driven to the upper end of theboard along a runway defined between a guide and the opposed side wallof the generally elliptical recess in the face of the game board shown.The balls are then deflected laterally, upon leaving the runway, by thecurved upper end wall of the game boards surface recess so that they maythereafter roll by gravity back down the board among the bumpers I5 andfinally into the receiving pocket I6. Striking of the bumpers I5 by theballs causes the scoring mechanism I3 to be actuated.

As so far described, the game is of Well known form and is largely agame of chance since the only control over the ball afforded is throughthe regulation of the initial velocity imparted to the ball as it ispropelled up the board. In accordance with one aspect of my invention, Ihave embodied in thisgame apparatus a novel arrangement for affordingfurther control of the balls path even after it has been shot out ontothe board, thereby introducing a predominating element of skill into thegame.

In carrying out the purpose noted, the game board I4 is tiltablymounted, in the present instance tiltable sideways or laterally aboutits longitudinal median axis, and a novel unitary mechanism is employedfor effecting not only the tilting ofthe board but lalso the shooting ofthe balls II. In the instant construction, the game board I4 has fixedto its forward and rear ends,

brackets 2I of inverted V-shape (Fi-gs. 2 and 3) which rest onupstanding knife-edge bearings 22 screwed to the adjacent casing endwalls. Upon reference to Fig. 2, itwill be seen that the board I4 can betilted from the full line position shown lto the alternative limitpositions of tilting indicated in dotY dash lines. A bubble gauge 23fixed on the front end of the board indicates the degree and directionof tilt.

A single operating handle or hand grip member 24 (Figs. 1, 4 `and 5),projecting exteriorly of the front wall of the casing I0, serves notonly to project the balls I'I but also t0 tilt the board I4. Thishandle, mounted on the casing I0, has two degrees or directions ofindependent motion, in the present instance, axial and rotational. Inbrief, axial movement of the plunger is used to project the balls I'Iand rotational movement is used to tilt the game board I4;

In the particular construction shown (see Figs.

4 and 5) the handle 24 is of the plunger type and includes a stem 242-having a plunger head 25 xed on its inner end. The stem 24a is axiallyslidable within a metal sleeve 26, and this sleeve is in turn rotatablyjournaled in a suitable bore 2l formed in an escut-cheon plate 28 iixedto the casings front wall. A collar 29, screwed to the inner side of theescutcheon lplate is seated against a complemental annular shoulder onthe sleeve 26 to hold the latter against endwise displacement. A setscrew 30, threaded in the sleeve 26, is positioned'with its nosereceived in a longitudinal groovek 3l in the stem 24a, thus forming yaspline connection between the stem and sleeve.

To urge the stem 24a inwardly for driving. the balls, a compressionspring 32 is arranged to encircle the stem, being interposed between theendV of the sleeve 25 and a'c'ollar 33 pinned tothe stem, while asecondcompression spring 34,1imits the recoil motion of the handle.Thus, when the handle 24 is pulled outward and released, the compressionspring 32, snaps the stem 24EL inward driving the plunger 25 against anupstanding resilient spring tongue 35. This spring tongue is xed to thegame board I4, normal to the latter, and at a point displaced laterallyfrom the boards axis of tilting. This tongue 35, in effect, forms adriving connection between the plunger head 25 and the balls I'Ipresented successively to the game board surface by the ball deliverymechanism. Throughout the entire range of game board tilting, the tongue35 will be maintained with a portion of it in front of the plunger head25. Hence, even though the plunger is not directly `alined with theballs the driving force imparted from the plunger will be eifectuallytransmitted to the balls through the tongue 35. In this Way it ispossible to use a driving plunger mounted on the casing even though theballs which it drives are carried on the tiltable game board.

In order to form a driving connection from the handle 24 to the gameboard I4 for tilting the latter, a resilient rubber sleeve 36 (Figs. 4and 5) is fixed to the sleevey 26 by the screw 30. This sleeve 36constitutes what might be termed the pinion element of a friction typerack and pinion drive mechanism. 'I'he part which corresponds to therack element comprises an elongated upright metal strip 3l fixed on theend of a plate 33 pivoted on the under side of the game board I4by apivot pin 39. The outer end of this plate 38 is connected by acontractile spring 4U with the adjacent end of a second sheet metalplate 4I fixed to the under side of a game board. The member 31 is thusyieldably urged into frictional engagement with the periphery of therubber sleeve 36. Accordingly, when the handle 24 is rotated in onedirection or the other, the member 3l is moved up or downcorrespondingly, and thus tilts the table I4 about its pivotal axis.Moreover, this frictional drive connection is such that the game boardis' releasably retained in any -angular adjustment to which it istilted, by virtue of the frictional engagement of the parts 35 and 3l.Also to be observed is the fact that the relative sizes of the parts aresuch, that a full revolution of the handle 24 effects only a relativelysmall degree of board tilting. This not only effects an advantageousforce multiplication but also prevents sudden and violent pitching ofthe board such as would throw the balls I'I up against the glass coverII and break the latter.

The general mode. of operation of the game apparatus disclosed willnowbe clear. By way of synopsis itmay be noted that the player firstinserts a coin in the mechanism I9 to free, in the usual way, a set of,say, live balls I'I for delivery successively to the shooter mechanism.Pulling out the plunger I8`and thrusting it back in again operatestheball delivery mechanism in the conventional manner to deliver one of theset of balls II into the runway-defined by the guidev 20and in position.to rest against the forward face of the upright tongue 35. Then theplayer grasps the handle 24, pulls out onV it and releases it for theplunger head 25 to strike the tongue 35 and thus drive the ball II upthe runway. The amount ofimpelling force imparted toV the ball can,ofcourse, be regulated by the distance. to which the handle 24 is pulledout before being released. The drivenball moves up the runway and aroundthe faceof the upper end of the oval recess-inthe game board surface andthen starts to dribble down the board between the bumpers I5, bygravity, due to the incline of the board.

As the ball II moves down the game board I4 the latter is tilted aboutits longitudinal axis or, in other words, in a direction transverse tothe general path of gravity movement of the ball so as to direct theball either toward or away from desired ones of the obstructions on thegame board. In thus tilting the game board the player grasps the samehandle 24, which he used to shoot the ball, and twists it to the rightto tilt the board to the right or to the left to tilt the board to theleft. The player is thus able to retain control of the path traversed bythe ball as it moves down the board so that a predominating element ofskill is introduced into the playing of the game. Moreover thispossibility of continued control of the balls`movements retains thecomplete concentration and interest of the player. Furthermore, theability to direct the ball to right or left, as desired, gives vent to avery natural impulse of a player to do precisely that.

As the handle 24 is twisted in one direction or another to tilt theboard, the resulting movement of the board is, in view of the characterof the drive connection to it from the handle 24, slow enough that theball cannot be thrown upward away from the board to break the glasscover II and otherwise damage the apparatus, as would be the case ifsimply a loosely pivoted game board were used with a projecting handlefixed directly to the board. Moreover, the game board is releasablyretained in any tilted position to which it has been moved so that theplayer need not depend on the steadiness of his hand to hold it in someparticular position. It will be appreciated that the board can initiallybe tilted to some desired angle even before the ball is shot if theplayer wishes to take advantage of some angle of tilt in accompanying aparticular initial path of traverse for the ball.

A prime advantage of the mechanism herein shown is that it can readilybe built into existing game boards.l It is a simple matter to remove thepreviously xed mounting for the game board in its cabinet andl mount iton pivots as shown, as well as to substitute the combined shooter andboard tilting mechanism, as shown, for the previous shooter mechanism.The addition of the controllable tilting feature adds new zest andinterest to game layouts which have become stale through previous use.On the other hand, a game constructed in the manner described canreadily be conditioned for nontilting operation by latching the gameboard against tilting and disabling the tilting drive from the handle 24as, for example, by removing the upright member 3l from the board.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a modified form of game also embodying myinvention. Many of the parts are identical with that shown in Figs. 1 to5 and the same reference numerals have been used for such identicalparts. In general, the apparatus of Fig. 6 differs from that of Fig. lprimarily in that the upright .tongue 35, which takes care ofmisalinement between the shooter plunger and ball due to tilting of theboard, is eliminated and instead the initial runway for the ball is soconstructed that the ball will always be accurately alined with theplunger head irrespective of the tilted position of the game board.This, upon reference to Fig. 6 it will be seen that a game board la hasbeen provided, substantially identical with the game board I4 heretoforedescribed except that its edge portion is notched out as indicated at40' (see also Fig. 8*) and this notch isy overlaidv by along resilient"and ilexibl'e .metal strip 4| which-forms the-bottom of the runway. Theleft end (as viewed in Fig. 6) of this strip4| is screwed to the Vgameboard while its right hand'y end is fixed to .a block 42 mounted on theinside of the casing I0',(see Figs. 7 and 8). Hence, ias theboard I4 istilted back and forth about its longitudinal axis-the strip 44I isflexed but its: right hand end remains stationary (relative to theshooter mechanism which is also mounted on the casing) so that a ballI'I located on itisal- Ways retained in precise alinement with the noseof the plungerhead 25 (see Fig. V'7). The combined shooter and boardtilting mechanism used in the gameof Figs. A6 to 8 is identical withthat, heretofore .described and hence need not be detailed again-Asbefore, the ball is shot by axial movement-of the handle 24 andthetable tilted to, right andleftby rotating or twisting the handlecorrespondingly; y f

1..In a gameof the type described, the conibination of a casinghaving agamev board tilt-` ably lmounted therein, a plunger type operatinghandle projecting from thecasing to the exterior thereof, meanssupporting said handleon said casing for both longitudinal androtational movement, means .operable in responseto the longitudinalmovement of said handle for Vcausing a game piece to traverse thesurface of. said game board, and means actuated in response to rotarymovementv of said handle for tiltingsaid board. m H 5 2. In a game ofthe type described, the combination-of a casing having a game boardtiltably kmounted therein, an-l axially. shiftable plunger Within saidcasing adapted uponl projection thereof to strike a ball presented to itand drive it across the surface of said game board, a handle locatedexteriorly of the casing and mounted on said casing for bothlongitudinal and rotational movement, means operable in response tolongitudinal movement of said handle for projecting said plunger, andmeans operable in re-` sponse to rotational movement of said handle fortilting said board.

3. In a game of the .type described, the combination of a casing, a gameboard in said casing having a plurality of obstacles thereon, meanssupporting said game board with its surface slightly inclined relativeto thehorizontal and for tilting movement only ina ,direction transverseto said incline, and a combined shooter and board tilting mechanismincluding a hand grip member operable from the exterior of said casingto shoot a ball vup the inclined game board surface so that the ball maythereafter roll back down such surface and for tilting the game board toguide the ball during its roll back past said obstacles.

4. In a game, the combination of a casing, a game board in said casinghaving a plurality of obstacles thereon, means'supporting said gameboard with its surface slightly inclined relative to the horizontal andfor tilting movement only in a direction transverse to said incline, andmeans for projecting a ball in an upward direction along said inclinedgame board surface to roll back down by gravity past said obstacles andin a path determined in a lateral sense by the tilting of said gameboard.

5. A game comprising, in combination, a casing having a game boardtherein, means supporting said game board for lateral tilting movementabout a median axis thereof and with said axis slightly inclinedrelative to the horizontal, means including a spring-urgedmanually-operable plunger mounted on said casing and operable from theexterior thereof for propelling a ball across the surface of saidvboard, said plunger being rotatable as well as axially movable, ayieldable rubber sleeve telescoped over said plunger and splinedthereto, andan elongated member fixed to said board` substantiallynormal to it at a point displaced laterally from said axis and yieldablyurged against the periphery of said sleeve in frictional engagement withit to form a frictional drive connection between the plunger and boardfor tilting the latter in response to rotation of said plunger.

6. A game comprising, in combination, a casing having a game boardtherein, means supporting said game board for lateral tilting movementabout a median axis thereof and with said axis slightly inclinedrelative to the horizontal, means including a spring-urgedmanually-operable plunger for propelling a ball across the surface ofsaid board upon axial movement of said plunger, means including a sleevetelescoped over said plunger'and rotatably mounted in said casing forsupporting said plunger for rotational as well as axial movement, meansforming a splined connection between said sleeve and plunger, an

elongated member pivotally mounted on said` board substantially normalto it at a point displaced laterally from said axis,` and meansincluding a contractile spring for yieldably urging said elongatedmember into frictional engagement with the periphery of said sleeve toform a frictional drive connection between the plunger and board fortilting theV latter in response to rotation of said plunger.

7; A game comprising, in combination, a casing having a game boardtherein, means supporting said game board for lateral tilting movementabout a median axis thereof and with said axis slightly inclinedrelative to the horizontal, a spring-urged manually-operable plungermounted on said casing and operable from the exterior thereof for bothaxial and rotational movement, a resilient spring tongue xed on saidboard in upright position in front of the-nose of said plunger totransmit a blow from the plungerto a ball located on the board in frontof said tongue, a sleeve telescoped over said plunger and splinedthereto, and an elongated member fixed to said boardl substantiallynormal to it at a point displaced laterally from said axis andfrictionally engaging theperiphery of said sleeve to form a frictionaldrive connection between the plunger and board for tilting the latter inresponse to rotation of said plunger.

8. A game comprising, in combination, a casing having a game boardtherein, means supporting said game board for tilting movement, amanually-operable plunger mounted on said casing and operable from theexterior thereof for axial movement, and a resilient spring tongue fixedon said board in upright position in front of the nose of said plungerto transmit a blow from the plunger to a ball located on the board infront of said tongue.

9. A game comprising, in combination, a casing having a game boardtherein, means supporting said game board for lateral tilting movementabout a median axis thereof and with said axis slightly inclinedrelative to the horizontal, a spring-urged manually-operable plungermounted, on said casing and operable from the exterior thereof for bothaxial and rotational movement and located at the lower end of theincline, means defining a runway along said board extending from saidplunger up the incline of the board, a resilient metal strip forming thebottom of said runway, said strip being fixed to said board at its upperend and to said casing at its lower end, whereby a ball in the lower endof the runway will be retained in alinement with said plungerirrespective of table tilting, a sleeve telescoped over said plunger andsplined thereto, and an elongated member iixed to said boardsubstantially normal to it at a point displaced laterally from said axisand yieldably urged against the periphery of said sleeve in frictionalengagement with it to form a frictional driveA connection between theplunger and board for tilting the latter in response to rotation of saidplunger.

l0. A game comprisingin combination, a casing having a game boardtiltably mounted therein, a ball impelling mechanism mounted on thecasing, means dening a runway leading along the game board surface fromsaid mechanism, and a flexible strip arranged to form the bottom of saidrunway said strip being fixed to said casing at its end adjacent saidmechanism, so as to remain stationary relative thereto despite anytilting of the board, and its other end being fixed to said board.

IRVEN H. WILSEY.

